Wire or ribbon tightening apparatus



E A J ERICSSON WIRE OR RIBBON TIGHTENING APPARATUS Filed Deo. 29, 1954July 28, 1936.

lll l( Patented July 28, 1936 sTATs PATENT OFFICE Application December29, 1934, Serial No. 759,780 In Sweden October 27, 1934 2 Claims.

' 'I'he present invention relates to wire or ribbon tightening apparatusparticularly of the kind used in the 'surgery in the treatment offractures.

The invention has for its object to provide an apparatus of the kindreferred to which is reliable and handy in use, simple in constructionand cheap in manufacture;

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawingin which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus partly in section andreceiving a wire not yet tightened.

Fig. 2Yshows the same apparatus from another side and with the wiretightened and twisted. Y

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the apparatus on the line III-III of Fig.1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the apparatus on the line IV-IV of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a view of a detail.

In the drawing, I denotes a tubular socket Ywhich along a portion of itslength has a longitudinal recess or opening 2. The socket I constitutesthe frame of the apparatus and receives a threaded spindle or screw 4which is rotatably Vjcurnalled therein and operated by a handle 5attached to one end of the screw, the opposite end thereof beingjournalled in a member 6 attached in the socket. In the end of thesocket I opposite to the handle 5 a stem 'l is inserted, the extension 8of which outside the socket terminates in a portion 9 eccentricallypositioned in relation to the centre line or axis of the screw 4 or thesocket I respectively. Said portion 9 is perforated by a preferablycylindrical hele which is likewise positioned eccentrically and the axisline of which is substantially parallel with the axis line of the screwor socket respectively. Said hole constitutes the eye of the apparatus,and, if the wire is to be twisted after being tightened, this holeshould receive a small sleeve or socket I I which is free to rotateabout its axis line in the hole and provided with an outer and an innerflange I2 and I3 respectively preventing the sleeve II from losing itsseat in the hole. The outer flange I2 has radial grooves I4 (see alsoFig. 5 which shows the outer end of the sleeve II).

In order to prevent rotation of the stem 'I in relation to the socket I,a pin I5 is attached to said stem and engages with a longitudinal grooveI6 in the socket I.

Approximately in the extension of the axis line of the sleeve II, asubstantially T-shaped member I8 is attached to the frame socket I, saidmember serving as a separator for the wire portions 25 in the twistingthereof.

The screw 4 engages with the thread of a nut I9 which is prevented fromrotation upon the screw by a plate 29 connected with the nut I9 andprojecting beyond the edges of the recess or opening 2. portion 2|forming an angle with the plate and designed to co-operate with agrooved eccentric 23 which is movable by ahandle or lever 24 about a pin22 attached to the plate 26 so that the ends .of the wire or ribbon canbe fastened between the portion 2I and the eccentric 23.4

When a wire 25.i's tobe .tightened aboutan object 26 (for instance afractured bone) a piece of a wire of suitable length is caused toembrace said object with the middle portion of the wire which forms aloop around the object 26 substantially as shown by Fig. 1. The ends ofthe wire are passed through the eye formed by the hole in the portion 9or in the socket II respectively, and the two portions of the wire 25are caused to pass on each side of the separator I8 to the clampingdevice 2I, 23 by means of which the ends of the wire are fastened to thenut I9. By rotation of the screw 4 in suitable direction the nut withthe clamping device is caused to move towards the handle 5 whereby theapparatus and the object are pulled towards each other. When the flangeI2 has been moved close to the objects 26, the Wire has been tightenedabout the object. are to be united, this is best done by twisting theportions of the wire between the object 26 and the separator I8. Thetwisting is effected by turning the apparatus substantially about theaxis line of the sleeve II. In this work one holds the apparatus bymeans of the handle 5. In the twisting in this manner the spindle 4 doesnot rotate in relation to the frame socket I in spite of the fact thatno particular locking device between the spindle and the frame socket isprovided. By the pull in the stretched wire 25 and due to the leverformed by the member 29, 2| the thread of the nut I9 is forced sopowerfully against the thread of the spindle 4 that only by the frictioncaused thereby the socket and spindle are held in the same mutualposition during the twisting operation.

When the portions. of the wire between the object 26 and the separatorI8 have been twisted about each other a certain number of revolutions,these portions break o' at a point between the sleeve II and theseparator I8 whereupon the tightening of the wire about the object inquestion and the uniting of the ends of the wire are completed.

At one side this plate is formed with a f.

If the ends of the wire now 30 Dueto the fact that the sleeve Il isrotatable in the hole of the portion 9, the wire portions `inthetwisting will not be broken oi too soon.

of the stem 1) is ldetachably secured to the,

frame socket I. l

In the use of ribbons instead of wires it may be suitable to unite theends of the ribbon in any other way than by twisting. In such a case theseparator I8, which is especially provided for twisting,'is notrequired. Y

In the use of a wire as well as of a ribbon the ends thereof can bereadily passed through the eye and attached to the clamping device, andwhen tightening' the 4wire or ribbon the operator is able to overlookpractically the whole length thereof since the wire or ribbon from theeye to allA of its length is located outside the frame socket I. "Y g.

21 denotes the hub of the handle and 28 a sleeve embracing the adjacentend of the frame socket I and attached thereto. 1 Y

Without further description it is thought that the features andadvantages' of the 'invention will be readily apparent to thoseskilled'in the art, and it will, of course, be understood that for thewire portions lcarried-by saidr'frarne'.

changes inform, proportion and details of con.

structionV may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

What Ir claim is: Y

1. A wire or ribbon tightening apparatus comprising a frame socket, ascrew journalled in said frame socket, a nut carried by said screw andadapted to be moved along rthe frame socket by theY rotation of saidscrew, arclamping `de- Y vice carried by said nut, an apertured membercarried by said frame socket and positioned ec-V centrically withrespect to said screw, a sleeve rotatably fitted within the aperture ofsaid member, providing an eye through which may pass the wire or ribbonto be tightened and the `wire or ribbon to Ybe tightened whenY passedadapted lto yloe moved longitudinally of said frame bythe rotation ofsaid screw, a clampingl device carried by said nut, a'nember carriedbythe frame, a-sleeve yrotatably journalledlin said member, saidsleeveforming an eye' lthrough ywhich the ends ofthe wire are insertedand connected to said clamping device, rand. a separator ERNsT AXELJOHAN ERICSSON; i

